Forbidden Secrets of the Castle
by Halisuhtem
Summary: Figured to keep writing with a Rogue (spelled it right) as the main subject this time. Still my writing though, don't expect very much
1. Dreams of Darkness

  
Disclaimer: I do not owe any of these characters or anything... blah blah... I am not making money off this, it is merely for fun and bordem.  
  
Figured to write with a third main character as the perspective. This time it's Rogue. Yes Kurt's in it, again..., but I mean for the main idea to be on Rogue and her troubles. I know all about the Rogue-Kurt paring wars that have been going on and this is merely my take on it, don't dismember if you disagree. Please! To me Kurt and Rogue just have a close friendly relationship, and they both know there is something more between them, something like brother/sister. Just my take. Bombs away to riping apart my story!  
  
  
  
  
It was late into the night when Kitty awoke from her sleep. She peeked at the alarm clock next to her bed, and to her surprise the red lights only showing off 2:48 in the morning. The room was still pitch black, save for the few streaks of light that snuck itself into the room by the window. Reality was coming back to her... why was she awake. What happened? Then it hit her. Rogue, her roommate was tossing and turning all over her bed, screaming in rage and fear, all at the same moment.  
  
Kitty's upset at being woken so early in the morning was lost on her friend. She hurried to her feet trying to get to Rogue and wake her from the nightmare. She cursed under her breath as she stubbed her toe on Rogue's big clunky shoes in the way that hid in the darkness of the room. "Rogue! Rogue, wake up," Kitty called shaking her friend harshly trying to bring her back into consciousness.   
  
Rogue shot up in her bed to a sitting position, so quick in fact that she smacked her forehead right against Kitty's. Rogue's breath was heavy as she tried to catch herself again, however it wasn't working very fast.   
  
"Ouch..." Kitty was rubbing her face... "that was fast. Are you alright?"  
  
"I.... I...." Rogue was trembling all over, she pulled her hands over her face, tears flooding her eyes and dripping down her cheeks. She curled in a ball, trying to gather her thoughts and bring herself together.  
  
"Rogue... Rogue listen to me..." Kitty tried to calm her roommate down, "it's just a nightmare... just a really bad nightmare. It's okay now, you're back to the real world now." Rogue gasped in breath, finally taking control of herself.  
  
"You're right... back in the real world."  
  
"What's so troubling? How was the dream hurting you?" Kitty was hoping these words would help Rogue out into letting her emotions out.  
  
"Nothing! Nothing you can help with. Why don't you just go back to sleep?" Rogue snapped back at her. "Geez... alright. Sorry for helping," Kitty stormed back to her bed and tried to fall back asleep. Eventually she did, however her roommate stayed wide wake. Thoughts raced through her head faster than she could catch them. What was wrong with her?  
  
*****  
  
The next morning came much too early to everyone, especially to Rogue. She was never able to get back to sleep and crawled out of bed even before her alarm went off. School was still a few hours away but it didn't matter to her. The world was a blur to her as she crept quietly out of her room, trying not to wake the sleeping Kitty, feeling that she had already done enough damage to her roommate for the night. Rogue snuck downstairs to the kitchen, it's linoleum floor a little cold to her bare feet, but she was too out of it and tired to care. A few scoops of the coffee mix into the machine and a few minutes later, presto! She sat, with one hand firmly grasping the mug of coffee, the other hand resting on her face, trying to keep her head up as the morning just blurred on.   
  
In a flash of purple smoke Kurt appeared right in Rogue's face upside-down, his tail grasping a light from the ceiling leaving him hanging. Rogue jumped with fright, Kurt's appearance being the absolute last thing that she thought would happen, especially this early in the morning. "Good morning!" Kurt roared, a broad smile filling up his face.  
  
"Gah Kurt! Don't do that, you scared the bejebbies out o' me!" Rogue screamed at him in a rage. She took one last sip of her coffee before getting up and slamming it down in the sink, then disappearing from the room.  
  
Kurt was just left hanging wondering what happened, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be the cause of anyzing."  
  
"It's alright Kurt, she was like that last night too." To Kurt's surprise Kitty walked into the room with a yawn going to the frige and pouring herself a glass of orange juice. "She woke me up last night screaming about something in her dreams again."  
  
"I'm sorry if it is her dream about me as a child again Keety," Kurt kept a sly grin while still hanging upside-down. Quite a sight to see, especially early in the morning.  
  
"I don't know, I doubt it though. Anyone who'd be having dreams about you for this long would probably have been locked up in a loony bin by now," Kitty mocked him with a laugh. Kurt didn't take too much enjoyment to the comment and resulted to retreating by sticking his tongue out at her childishly. This brought another laugh from Kitty. "By the way Elf, it's not like you to be up so early. To what do I owe the pleasure?"  
  
"Vell vhat about yourself? Trying to kill the oranges while they are still hibernating?" Kurt retorted.  
  
Kitty kept her giggle taking another sip of her juice. "Well since you're never up this early to notice, I'm usually up at this time." She walked past where he was hanging upside-down and gave him a cute pinch on the cheek and left out the kitchen. Kurt gave her another tonguing, this time with added hands wiggling before he teleported off.  
  
*****  
  
Rogue's day just wasn't any better. It wasn't that things just got worse and worse, but that her mind kept falling into decay and wouldn't notice anything around her. She had gotten through many of her classes without really knowing it, the images from the night before still plaguing her mind. She had seen them so many times over the past months, but they kept growing in length. Whenever she thought they were at an end and couldn't possibly go any farther, they did. There was something more in that castle in Germany that anyone really knew. It still bothered her to the point of insanity. It wouldn't leave her alone, it kept with her throughout the day, it even showed all the faces and haunting.... KURT!  
  
"Rogue... hey.... slow down," Kurt's voice tried to calm her down in the halls passing between classes. "You look terrible like something has been bugging you."  
  
"I'm fine fuzz ball, just leave me alone!" Rogue's voice was harsh as she brushed past him and took off down the halls. She couldn't help but clutch her head as the images kept forcing themselves into her mind. She couldn't help it.   
  
The images kept haunting her into the night. The same thing. The castle, the cloaked lady, the baby, the wolves, the crying.....   
  
She shot back up in her bed again, sweat dripping off her face... or was it tears again? Again she was breathing heavily trying to calm herself. Her instinct took her to the clock that displayed 3:46 in bright red numbers. She glanced at Kitty who was still asleep, luckily. Rogue grabbed her head again, trying to get the visions from her head but no luck. She couldn't stand it! These had to end and there was only one thing that she could do. It was off to Germany to find this castle somewhere. There had to be answers there, there just had to be.   
  
Within the hour she was already awake and in the garage of the X-men. She had already picked the lock and stolen the keys to one of the old cars that just sit around and collect dust. However she needed one last night, the castle's location.   
  
It was still pitch black, however the sun would soon start to rise. The only light that shown upon Rogue's face was that of a small computer monitor in the blackbird that listed the log of the plane. Mississippi, the time the X-men came to try and recruit her; British Columbia, there's the time Logan took off to that lab from the news; here it was! The castle in German, Logan had flown there during Kurt's whole terbacle with her dreams. Last she knew, the castle was set off and exploded upon Logan's entrance. In a hurry Rogue scribbled down the coordinates and rushed to the car, trying to turn the engine that hadn't been started in months.   
  
"Com'on you stupid thing, before anyone wakes up," she cursed. She tried again, this time it finally turning and starting up. However before she could give thanks, a cloud of purple smoke exploded in the passenger seat, and once cleared, showed Kurt in his battle suit grinning mischievously.   
  
"And just vhere might ve be going? On a mid-night stroll?"  
  
"Kurt! Just get the hell out of here! Leave me alone for once will you?!" Rogue just wouldn't let anything get in her way. Friend or not. Kurt however snatched the paper with the coordinates.  
  
"Germany huh? Castle? You'll certainly need a guide on your trip and no one knows zhe place like I do." Kurt offered her another smile.  
  
"I don't need you're help, just get out of here before I throw you out!" The rage inside Rogue exploded. She wanted these visions out of her head and she didn't care who stood in her way.  
  
"Vell, the vay I see it," Kurt's smile became even more sly with his hint of proposition, "you're not supposed to be taking off. So I guess your stuck huh? That is of course unless you take me vith you and now so I don't have zhe chance to go vake anyone else up and alert them to vhat you are doing." Kurt gave her a friendly wink that just aggravated Rogue even more.  
  
"You are such a jerk!" she screamed in rage, slamming her foot on the accelerator and taking off in the car, with Kurt in the passenger seat, bombing through the streets of Bayville. "Why do you even want to come along? You don't even know what I am doing."  
  
"Vell someone has to keep an eye out for you, besides vhich I owe you vone," Kurt leaned back in the car seat, reclining and relaxing.  
  
"Owe me one? for what?"  
  
"The vay you helped me get over the whole Mystique thing, besides vhich, this still involves the dream so it still involved me. It's my turn to help you get over your nightmares," Kurt replied.  
  
Rogue turned her head at him for a moment before returning her eyes to the road. "And how do you know that this is about my dreams and about you in them?" Rogue was very surprised to hear Kurt know almost exactly why she was running.   
  
"Vell those are zhe coordinate for zhe castle in your dreams, am I correct?" Kurt asked inquisitively.  
  
This time it was Rogue's chance for questions. "This is merely longitude and latitude numbers, how do you know that they are for this castle in Germany? Even if you are from there, I'm sure you don't know the exact numbers for this place, especially if you don't remember it ever besides my dreams."  
  
This caught Kurt off guard and left him reeling for answers. "Er... umm...." Kurt knew that he was busted.  
  
It then suddenly all hit Rogue and she got it. "You knew the coordinates because you snuck onto the blackbird too and look at them. In fact you've got them memorized because this paper doesn't even say anything about a castle, just has numbers."  
  
Kurt knew that he was caught and didn't answer, he just turned his face to look out the window. The sun was starting to peer it's way over the horizon and the first streaks of light broke itself into the world. The car kept going down the freeway towards New York City and the airport. Germany was only a plane ride away.  
  
*****  
  



	2. Castle of Darkness

  
  
  
  
It had tough for the two of them to try and get the fastest plane to Germany before anyone at the institute knew of their disappearance. Surely once they were both discovered to be gone there would be a wide search for the two of them, especially from the professor and Cerebro.   
  
Finally arriving at the airport, they were left stranded for the moment by the small miscalculation that the only flight to Munich was alright booked solid. No seats available at all. "So now what are we going to do? There isn't even another flight to London where we could catch a connecting flight," Rogue stormed around JFK airport. Things were blowing up in their faces long before they even got started. "What are you looking at fuzz boy?" She demanded, seeing Kurt staring out the large glass windows at the plane that was booked. "Can't you actually put that brain to use for once and try to come up with an idea?"  
  
Kurt just kept looking out the window with his normal sly grin creeping across his face. "Oh, I've got an idea but it's not going to be too perfect I'm afraid."  
  
"Whatever, just get us on that plane!"  
  
Kurt looked around the crowded airport, people everywhere. He took Rogue's hand and lead her around a corner to a waiting area. No people, the coast was clear. "Hang on tight," Kurt warned and in a flash of purple smoke the two were gone.  
  
When they finally reappeared, they fall a few inches after coming out of the teleport in the air. Kurt landed finally like a cat, Rogue on the other hand wasn't expecting that and fall hard to the ground. "Ouch!" She cursed, "what'd you do that for Kurt?"  
  
"Sorry, I must have misjudged the distance."  
  
"What distance? From where? Where are we?" Rogue's fowl mood hadn't changed at all, especially now that it was pitch black and she couldn't see anything, especially where she was. Kurt took out a tiny flash light he had in a pocket and flicked it on, showing his face. He then panned the light around the small room they were in, travel bags filled up the entire place. It was nothing but travel bags everywhere! Travel bags? It hit Rogue. They were inside the luggage compartment of the plane to Munich.   
  
"I told you zhat it vasn't going to be perfect," Kurt reiterated himself. "I'm afraid this is zhe only light that I've got, but we'll make it to Germany in a couple of hours. It's the best zhat I could do."  
  
Rogue eased up a little bit, but she didn't show it, "Well you could have mentioned that before rather than scare me half to my grave!" They could feel movement all around them as the place raced down the runway and took flight into the skies. They were finally on their way to that hated castle that has been haunting Rogue for months.  
  
*****  
  
Once the plane had finally landed on German soil, Kurt was able to teleport both of them from the baggage hold of plane without anyone noticing their presence. Kurt had known the Munich airport, it's where he took off from when he first came to Xavier's institute months ago. He knew the best places in the airport, especially the places where no one would notice them when the teleported into the airport.   
  
They continued on, finding a map and judging about the right location of where this castle would be. Rogue guessed that it would be somewhere in the southern hills of Germany judging from the numbers that they were able to take from the blackbird.   
  
Over the next day they took everything from buses, to taxis, to trains in their best hopes to find the castle. Kurt's German helped in translating and finding information that Rogue could have never possibly done on her own.   
  
The two of them had entered a small village in the hills, the landscaping looking very familiar to Rogue as it matched the type in her dream. They had to be getting close. Kurt broke off a conversation he was having with one of the locals and returned back to where Rogue was sitting on the side of the street. "What'd he have to say?" she inquired.  
  
"Ve are certainly in zhe right direction," Kurt said, his German accent getting heavier and heavier just returning to his old country. "Zhe vere reports of a haunted castle zhat no one vould go near. Lots of yelled and screaming alvays vould come out though. Up until recently when zhe place blew sky high."  
  
"That's got to be the place then!" Rogue's excitement grew. They were so close to getting to the end of this. "How do we get there?"  
  
"It's not very far avay," Kurt pointed a little to the east. "One of the men here has offered to guide us, but he says he'll only take us to zhe castle, then he's leaving as quickly as he can."  
  
"Fine by me, as long as we can get there."  
  
*****  
  
Within a few hours Kurt and Rogue stood at the edge of a rickety old wooden bridge that crossed a deep carved narrow canyon. The river's rushing waters below gushing as fast as ever. Across the bridge stood the castle, as dark and gloomy as ever, beckoning for their arrival. The castle still stood strong, however the top of it was in a shambles, blast marks still scaring the walls from the previous explosion. Kurt looked behind him to make sure that the guide had cleared out and was away from view. "I don't trust the looks of zhis bridge," Kurt warned offering his hand. "Grab on, I can take us to zhe other side no problem."  
  
Rogue looked at the bridge in a daze. Almost as if they were ghosts, she could see the blue skinned mother racing across it's wooden panels in a rush. She could see the brown bundle of cloth she was clutching too. She could see the mother's tears and hear her screams when the bundle fell from her hands and into the river below. She had never truly told Kurt what had happened. She and the professor gave him a lighter version of the events so that he at least knew the truth of his mother. Poor Kurt. He'll never understand the significance of this bridge.   
  
"Yoo Hoo," Kurt waved his hand in front of Rogue's face grabbing her attention, extending his hand out to her again. "Are you coming or not? You're the one who vanted to go all this vay."  
  
"Yeah... sorry," Rogue came back to reality, taking a hold of Kurt's hand. It a flash they were both on the other side of the river and closer to the castle. They decided it would be best to walk their way up to the castle just to investigate everything around it. A wolf howled in the distance only adding to the eerie effect the castle all ready possessed.   
  
The finally made it to the castle itself, feeling it's ghostly cold stones the walls were made of. It was exactly how Rogue pictured it would be and would feel from her dreams. There was a door that seemed to be only opening to the whole place with the exception of a few holes that were blasted open from the explosion. The two X-men entered the castle slowly, the view almost all that was expected. The outside world shown down on the them due to the fact that the roof and all other upper floors had collapsed in the explosion. All of the ground floor on which Kurt and Rogue stood was covered in rubble from the floors that once stood above them. A maze of rock and stone only kept together by the walls that still stood. Kurt noticed some glass that was also in the carnage, it reflecting the light from above into his eyes. "Vhat a mess," Kurt stated the obvious.  
  
"You pretty much said it," Rogue sighed, now starting to believe that coming here was an entire mistake. There was nothing here for them, everything was gone. "This was stupid, we aren't going to find anything that we are looking for."  
  
A strangers voice came in from behind them, "Just what was it that you were looking for?"  
  
*****  
  
  



	3. Strangers of Darkness

More out of instinct than anything else, Rogue spun around and blindly threw a fist out, trying to catch whoever it was that came up behind them. However her fist just sailed threw the air until it finally slammed hard into the stone wall of the castle. Rogue yelled in pain, her hand becoming numb from the force that she connected the unyielding wall with. "Who's there? Who are you?" She demanded. The stranger stood up, she had ducked Rogue's blind punch easily and now stood only a few inches from her.  
  
"Bad manors that is," the stranger smirked.  
  
"Irene?" Rogue couldn't believe that this woman, whom she hadn't seen in months, would be the stranger. Why is she here? Especially since here is Germany, not Mississippi. "What are you doing here? How'd you know to duck? I thought you were still blind!"  
  
Irene stepped forward and into the castle, her white cane with the red tip going back and forth across her as she walked. "Of course I'm still blind. But I knew that was coming, after all, I can still foresee the future. Of the entire world how else do you think I'd know exactly where you would be in Germany, let alone even knowing that you are in Europe when you should be back in New York."  
  
Nightcrawler became very suspicious of the woman, he stood in a ready pose to strike at any moment. However he also kept his guard wondering who else might be in the area. "Kurt, it's alright," Rogue tried to calm her friend down. "It's only Irene. She's the woman who pretty much raised me." Kurt heeded Rogue's wish and dropped his position, however his suspicions of the woman still were as high as ever. Rogue returned her attention to the blind woman, still walking around the destroyed innards of the castle, getting a feeling for her surroundings. "But why come here? Why now?"  
  
"Maybe that's a question you should be asking yourself," Irene shot back, finding a fallen stone to sit on, leaning against her cane still.  
  
"Yeah, I'm the one having these nightmares that all focused on this stupid pile of rubble," Rogue retorted right back at her.  
  
"About the whole scene with the baby loosing his mother, yes I know all about that. Why else would you be here?" Irene spoke smoothly, enjoying her all knowing power of the moment.   
  
"But how do you know?" Rogue tried not to glance at Kurt. She was afraid that perhaps he would find out about it all. This is not the place to tell him all about it.   
  
"Rogue dear, we've already gone over this, I can see into the future. I've already seen this entire conversation happen and I know what troubles you. That poor child though," Irene gave a light chuckle. "Wonder what ever happened to him."  
  
Rogue grew angry with her former guardian's torturing. "Then you know more about what happened that moment than you are telling me. I know you can foresee the future, but it doesn't give you exactly locations. If you saw us in this castle, you must have known that it was in Germany at this spot. You've been here and now something about it!"  
  
This sent Irene back reeling. She had been caught in her own words. "So perhaps I know a few things about this, but I am not the one to speak to. The one you would probably want is the mother. Guess it just so happens that she is standing in the door behind you." Rogue turned in a flash, as did Kurt who both witnessed the slim blue woman not hiding under any guise standing in the door way. She did however where a large brown cloak, exactly the same one she worn in the dream, however this time the hood was down, showing her face.  
  
This time both Rogue and Kurt prepared for battle, but Mystique entered the destroyed place raising her hand asking for calmness. "I am not here for a fight, especially not against my own family." Rogue took a glimpse at Kurt, figure that she was addressing him. It must be hard enough to know that this villain was your own mother, it would be destroying to know how they got separated. "If you don't trust me, then know that I come alone, I have no troops with me, save for Irene who told me to follow her here."  
  
"Then why come here? Why travel half way around the world by yourself just to come see us with a white flag?" Rogue just wasn't able to put the pieces together. "You could have done that at anytime in New York. You know where Kurt lives, you see him almost everyday for school anyways."  
  
"Unless I know the history of this place, and it is what you seek," Mystique stayed in the doorway, but spoke with a very persuasive voice.  
  
"I figured that you would know something about it, since this is probably your fault that I am seeing these things," Rogue shot back. "But why me? Why not Kurt? He's your own flesh and blood whether you like it or not."   
  
Mystique gave an eerie flash of a villainous grin, "Oh? and is that all you know? Then perhaps I should fill you in. There is much more to this castle than you could have ever imagined. Leave the questions for the end and let me speak and I will tell you all that you are looking for. I give you my word of the truth, although whether you want to believe it or not is up to you...."  
  
  
  



	4. Story of Darkness

  
I just want to say this before anyone reads ahead. I know there are plenty of theroy's out about what is in this chapter. This is simply my take on it at the moment to make a good story. I'm sure it's probably wrong and has many loopholes, but just go with it for the sake my idea and storyline.  
  
  
  
  
  
"This castle is quite old and dates back to the days of early renascence however it was abandoned centuries long before I or Magnus, better known to you as Magneto, came upon it. Magnus is a very intelligent man, however after all that he has gone through his vision of the future is much different that what Charles wishes it to be.   
  
Mutants were still very young in development, Magnus and Charles being the two eldest of our kind and I was one of the few right behind. However the new out break began to spark fire between the humans and mutants. So Magnus fled to this castle to start his experiments that were going to save us all.   
  
He began to set up the best computers he could find, although it being the early 80's, computers didn't come a dime a dozen as they do today. His goal was to find the mutant gene and find a way that people could control the gene and be able to surpress it, or ignite it. With the ability to do this, Magnus figured that he could save others from the pains of growing up under the scrutiny of being different, and allow them to accept their lives when they were ready and when they could fight off the human mobs against them.   
  
Both Irene and I followed Magnus and believed in his goals to retrieve mutants when they would be able enough to fight off the humans that would sure to seek the mutant's death. Along with me came my infant child Kurt, and my step-child Marie who is Kurt's half sister. Kurt is my full child, however Marie is not, but shares the same father as Kurt. Marie was a very quiet child, who was a late bloomer in her use of voice. She didn't learn to speak until she was 3 which is only a few months after the episode in your dreams Rouge.  
  
Magnus continued to build up to his grand experiment, eventually leading him to build the glass tube chamber that are now littering the ground here. His funds were limited and he was only able to build three of them, each a little different in the experiment. He was so sure that he had at least built one of them correctly, but now he needed to test out which one was the right one.   
  
Although reluctantly it was agreed that Kurt would be the test subject to discover which tube was the correct one, due to the fact of his appearance. Magnus felt that the baby Kurt would need the mutant gene surpressed more than any of us because we could all still pass as human, he couldn't.   
  
The first test was all set and ready to go. Irene and myself were both frightened and excited at the same moment about the possibilities of what might be if these tests work. Magnus sat behind a large panel with buttons, pushing some and throwing switches to start up the tube that held Kurt in there by himself. The noise boomed and scarred off little Marie who ducked in the shadows of the massive computer. I remember Irene screaming something to me however I couldn't hear it, the machine's churning were over powering and disrupting all other noise, except for one.   
  
Perhaps it's just a mother's sense but I could hear Kurt's wailing and crying. He was in pain, probably more pain than any of us had ever felt before. A gas came through into the test tubes and completely engulfed my son, however I could still hear his crying, even more than before. I couldn't take it, the noise of his pain was driving me to the point of insanity. I screamed at Magnus to stop, however he just kept pressing on. I screamed at him again only with the same end result. Finally I couldn't take it any more. I furiously ran to the control panel and randomly began hitting buttons, hoping that I would find the one that could stop the test. Magnus became furious at my actions however he had to abort the experiment since I had sent it all out of alignment with my random pressing of buttons. His rage became so great that he couldn't stand it anymore. In a rush he took of into the night, flying high above the clouds that had been swarming.  
  
I found a heavy wooden chair and after a few swings was able to break through the glass, finally retrieving the baby Kurt. I knew that I couldn't allow these things to go on any longer and decided to flee for Kurt's life. However fearing for Marie's life as well Irene came up with a plan. I was to take Kurt and head west, she would take Marie and go east from the castle. Eventually when we've made it back to civilization, we'd meet together in Irene's home in Mississippi.   
  
We found Marie still hiding in the shadows, her eyes tightly shut and covered by her hands. Luckily she had not seen the horrid experiment or else I fear it might have scarred her forever. I don't know how Marie and Irene escaped, you may ask them however all I know is my part when I ran from the castle with Kurt. Magnus came back and saw me running, he trapped me on the bridge and in a fumble I dropped poor Kurt over the bridge into the waters. I followed the river until I found Kurt being picked up by the local villagers, I figured that it was best to let him live there than be hunted by Magnus as a test subject."  
  
  
*****  
  
  
"And that is my story to tell," Mystique took in a long sigh followed by an uneasy pause. Rogue became still and looked to Kurt, not only for the pain he must be feeling of what happened to him in the tubes, but about being lost over the bridge. So much pain and suffering that he was too young to remember.   
  
"If all of this is true, then just what ever happened to Marie?" Rogue knew that Mystique's story was factual, but still something inside told her that something was missing, that they weren't getting the whole story. "I have been with Irene longer than I can remember, but I know that I have never met anyone named Marie."  
  
A voice boomed from above in the sky, although coming louder and clearer with each passing moment. Magneto! He had found the castle as well and finally landed in the center of them all. "Perhaps that is because they don't call her Marie anymore because that name is too gracious for her. They simple call her by the only suitable title for her... the Rogue."  
  
  
*****  
  



	5. Decisions of Darkness

  
  
Sorry this part of the story isn't anything spectacular, especally since it's the end. Again, these are my ideas about who, what, and why they believe what. I'm sure there are many other theroys out there, but just follow mine for the sake of the story, then scream and shread me later for being wrong.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
Mystique turned in fear, seeing her master floating down from the sky to the ground inside the destroyed castle. "But... but... how did you know where to find us? We could have been anywhere!"  
  
Magneto gave a laugh with a devilish grin, "My dear Mystique, with both you and Irene gone at the same moment I learned from my Brotherhood that Nightcrawler and Rogue had gone missing, this was the only logical location." He spun slowly, taking in the full view of everyone around him in the old wrecked castle. "Now isn't this nice? It is almost like our own little family reunion. It's been much to long."  
  
Rogue was all confused. She thought she knew it all from Mystique's story, but nothing about what Magneto had brought to the table. "I don't understand what you are talking about. I don't know anything about this `family' or why you feel that I'm Marie. No one has ever called me that, and I don't feel I have any reason to hide."  
  
"You came here seeking to find the answers to why you are suffering from these nightmares that involve mother and child, but nothing to do with you," Irene spoke up, knowing this from receiving visions of Rogue's dreams before. "But they are not dreams at all, they are memories. Don't you see Rogue? You are Marie. You were the little girl hiding in the shadows that saw all this pain. Your young mind must have been able to push it aside but know that you are older you can't forget it."  
  
It started to make sense to Rogue. It was for once a reasonable answer to her question. Why her and not Kurt, because she was there as well. In a sudden rage she looked straight to Magneto, "Then why do you come here? You have no right to find us your `family' because you are the one that tried to kill it's own members."  
  
Magneto took a deep sigh, gathering his thoughts before he spoke like any good statesman. "That was all a long time ago Marie and I have changed much since then. There are many things about humanity and mutants that you do not know and that you will never know because Charles refuses to teach you. He feels that if all you know is pacifism then there is no other goal but pacifism. That is all fine and wonderful from a mutants point, but the humans know no such thing. The moment you let your guard down to make peace with them they'll strike and slip the knife in your back."  
  
"So just what is your plan then? To go on a mass genocide of the humans? Exterminate them all so only mutants can live in peace together? That's the idea of a madman!" Rogue shot back.  
  
"I have no plans for extermination nor ever had," Magneto kept his voice calm and cool in the face of Rogue who was ready to explode again. "The only things humans understand is falling behind fear, and hating anything that is different from them. It is the reason why mutants are hunted down. It's not that they fear us, it's that we are just different. They know no real fear of mutants, however if they did they we could be left alone. It's my idea to be able to finally allow mutants to stop being persecuted and murdered. All we must do is rise up together and show our combined strength of ever mutant in the world. Surely the humans will be in such awe of our power that they will hide from us and do us no harm."  
  
"But you are allowing the actions of only a few humans to speak for all. I am sure that most of the world does not mind for mutants as long as we do not do harm to them," Rogue replied.  
  
Magneto's voice became more harsher and his speech became quicker. There was a sudden hatred for all humanity in his words and feelings. "The human kind can not even live peacefully with itself without persecution of the different. You do not know what it was like to be hunted down by your common man and to be whipped, tortured, and murdered all because you believe in something different. Do you know what it was like to be a Jew during Hitler's reign of terror? This wasn't an outside force threatening humankind. This was humankind killing off it's own members for no other reason than they were different. If humans can do that to themselves, what could they do to us?"  
  
"But then what is it that you were doing yourself with these tubes?" Rogue's responds was surprisingly quick and to the point. "You left Kurt in one of those tubes and left him to die had you gotten your way and wanted to continue the experiments."  
  
Magneto calmed a little, being able to forget his past made him a bit easier. "I was going to save mutant life and know one needed it more than Nightcrawler. Don't you see? If those tests were successful, then we could allow mutants the ability to hide their true nature and let them live in a human world until the point we couldn't hold them back any longer. By that time they would have been able to grow up and see how wrong humanity is in their treatment of our kind."  
  
"But why Kurt?" Rogue looked to her teammate who had been silent for most of the night. "You were going to kill him as a child! He didn't know better."  
  
"Look at him though! I have no quarrels against Kurt for he is a very bright and intelligent young man, but his appearance is his undoing. I can see though it as can you because we are mutants. We see though each other, however the humans do not. All it would take is one human to see him in that state and he would killed immediately or captured and sent to a life as a guinea pig for science." Magneto took a quick glance to the furry mutant before continuing. "If we could surpress his mutant gene, he would have been able to actually live. It is no difference than his holographic appearance does to him, only it would have been real! He could have lived! It's only by the stroke of luck that he landed in the arms of people who were able to look past him."  
  
"Then what is your real purpose of coming here?" Rogue questioned him suspiciously. "We could have gotten all this from Mystique and Irene."  
  
"I come offering you a proposal," Magneto's voice quieted and then stopped for an added effect of importance. "You have heard my side of the argument, and you have heard Charles's. I give you a choice to come and return to my side and to be able to live, and to live as a family once again. For you, a chance to live your Irene and your step mother, as well as your brother Kurt, this offer goes for him as well." Magneto looked to Rogue with a grin. "So what do you say?"  
  
Rogue couldn't help but take the opportunity to look all around her, at all the faces that know she is seeing in a different sense. Mystique, Irene, even Kurt still keeping his silence, and then back to Magnus. "If there are people in this world like those who picked up Kurt and raised him, who were able to look past his appearance then there must be many more out there. I think scaring humans will only cause them to fight back and it will be the end to both of us. Humans are learning more than ever to live together and pacifism is the only way it will work."  
  
Magneto gave a growl, but was able to keep in down. He tired, but could turn her back, there was nothing more he could do. "And you Kurt? You've kept yourself quiet this entire night, what say you?"  
  
Kurt finally spoke up, looking harshly into Magneto's eyes. "Professor Xavier has given me a life vhat I vould never of have vith you. I know humans can care for a mutant, and zhat people can look past it. I stay."  
  
"It is a mistake that you are both making, however I can not sway you anymore," Magneto finally gave an upset sigh. "However you are both still young. If you ever come to my understanding, my offer is always on the table for you to take." With that Magneto took flight back to the sky, knowing he couldn't do anymore. "May your choices in the future be wise ones, or at least safe ones." His voice trailed off and he disappeared into the darkness of the night.   
  
As Rogue watched him fly off, all the rage and anger she had suddenly cracked and she broke into tears, taking a hold of Kurt while sobbing the whole time. "Oh Kurt.... I... I'm sorry about all this. I should have told you the real truth about my dreams, about your past. I.... I didn't know anything about me being there, honestly. I'm sorry."  
  
"Ja, it's okay," Kurt tried to comfort her, "I know how you feel, I never told you about zhe dreams I had as vell. You aren't zhe only von haunted by zhis castle in your sleep."  
  
"You knew about this place all along? And you never told me?" Rogue looked up, finally controlling herself. It was hard, after building up all that rage, once it was gone there was nothing left to support her. Kurt nodded with a childish grin. "I can't believe you!" She gave him a playful punch to the shoulder.  
  
Mystique spoke up, siting next to Irene still, looking to her children. "Please forgive me for breaking up the reunion and all, but I must ask of you a favor. Please help Irene here return to Mississippi when you return to Xavier's place."  
  
"But what about you? Why aren't you helping her get back home? Don't you have the Brotherhood to take after?" Rogue shot questions back at her.  
  
With a devilish grin, Mystique gave a slight laugh. "I have business that takes me all over the world, much more than you know of, and even more than Magnus does. I shall ensure you a safe trip home, none of my mutants shall harm you in your travels. It is a promise." Mystique turned to leave the castle, finding the door through all the rubble and fallen stone. "It was nice to have us all together, perhaps some day we can do this in peace and happiness. Until then, good-bye Kurt, good-bye Marie, live well my children...."  
  
  
The End  
  
  
I know, really crappy ending but I can't think of anything well to finish it with. Sorry  
  



End file.
